It Pays To Be A Restaurant Reviewer! January 4, 2017
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Food & Drink, Humor.trackback
Last month, we attended an Anniversary Celebration for Tommy Bahamas and received a coupon for $20 off dinner at the restaurant.
Two days before the coupon expired, we stopped for dinner at Tommy Bahamas on our way home from a class at the Apple Store.
BFF ordered Tommy’s World Famous Coconut Shrimp with mango salsa and slaw. I ordered a Bungalow Salad.
Both arrived in short order with a loaf of fresh from the oven bread. Which I ate, without worrying about the gluten.
For dessert, BFF ordered a slice of Pina Colada cake . . . and I had a few bites.
Yum!
The musician was good and played songs we know and enjoy ~ Buffett, Stray Cats ~ Stray Cats Strut, Chris Isaak ~ Wicked Game, The Doors ~ Light My Fire, Bowie ~ Rebel, Rebel, etc.
Best of all, with the $20 Off coupon, we saved almost 50%!
All in all, an excellent deal . . . but wait, there’s more to this tale.
When we arrived, at 6:45, the maître d’ told us it would be a 45 minute wait.
We decided to eat at the bar. But after sitting there a few minutes, amid the aroma of stale beer, I decided I’d rather wait for a table.
I went back to the maître d’ to sign up. He gave me a buzzer, showed me what it would do when our table was ready, and I started to walk back to the bar.
He then said, “Wait! I’m going to make this happen. Just go upstairs and tell them to seat you.”
Surprised, I gave him back the buzzer, grabbed BFF, went upstairs and we got a great table for two next to the grand staircase and overlooking the musician.
Perfect!
BFF wanted to know how I managed it.
I have no idea.
I was carrying my iPad . . . Maybe the maître d’ thought I was a restaurant critic!
Aah . . . that’s better!
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Smooth move, Nancy!
I bought a keypad folio for my iPad which turns it into a petite laptop . . . it does look tres “official.” 😀
LOL! Take that baby everywhere!
That’s what I’m thinking!
Awesome! Hmmm, me thinks I should now carry an ipad when I go out to eat, ha!
Give it a go, Suzi!
The only reason I had it with me was because we’d just come from a class at the Apple Store and we didn’t want to leave it in the car. But I may grab it every time I head out to dinner!
Yes, we will take the iPad next time… I am not good about waiting!
Give it a go, Pix! It just might do the trick to let you be a line hopper.
I like that a lot! 🙂
A pleasant surprise followed by a fun meal with great tunes. Since we don’t eat out much, we were thrilled.
Good to know that you also sometimes eat freshly baked bread without worrying about the gluten issue, Nancy. Makes me feel better about when I do it. 🙂
For the first two months, I avoided all gluten . . . with great results on several planes. Better sleep. Better mood. Less neck pain.
Over the holidays, I experimented (with pizza, grilled cheese, lasagna, and fresh baked bread, cookies, and brownies) to see whether and how much gluten I could eat. I’m finding that my sleep is disrupted after eating even small amounts of gluten.
Since waking up every 2 hours is frustrating and a very inefficient way to sleep, I am returning to abstention again . . . for now, anyway. 😉
You have given us all an idea!
Go for it! Other than my charming smile and infectious laugh, I can’t think of any other reason why we got to “jump the line.”
Whatever works, Nancy. Maybe I need to get an iPad! Happy New Year! I’m back after a LONG absence and Spirit Lights the Way is my first stop.
Welcome back! And thanks for swinging by here first . . . to learn how to be a line hopper simply by carrying an iPad!
All the best in 2017!
Almost the same thing happens to me whenever I take my iPad to Starbucks. (By almost the same thing, I mean they sell me latte and a doughnut and let me find my own seat.)
Haha! iPads are magical that way.
Well done!
A magical evening all the way around . . . especially the music. We loved every song on his playlist.
It was an awesome list – at least the ones you shared with us.
What a funny thing to have happen. I have an iPad… I like good seats in restaurants… Suddenly I have an idea!
Good luck! This might be the new thang!
I actually think you should be a food critic ….you fooled me lol
Ha! And you didn’t even see me holding my iPad!
I know…. I read all the way down before you said you had your ipad….posted my comment and then read the rest and was like….ugh! lol
I found your comments this morning when I was cleaning out the SPAM folder ~ they didn’t seem like SPAM to me.
Sometimes Akismet is overly protective. LOL.
Ha ha!!! I need to get an iPad or borrow one!
It sounds like you had a great evening.
That’s the ticket!
We seldom eat out, especially for dinner. Our visit to Tommy Bahamas was one pleasant surprise after another . . . culminating in the Pina Colada cake (which BFF still dreams about). 😀
Hey! Now there’s a strategy we might think about. Pose as a restaurant critic. 🙂 Sometimes a good deal comes with a lot of negative strings attached. You guys made out like true winners! And I suspect I would love that Bungalow Salad!
The salad was happening, Debra ~> assorted greens with toasted almonds and macadamia nuts, feta, dried blueberries, pepitas, tomatoes, and meyer lemon vinaigrette.
Because we don’t often eat out at night (too much food makes sleeping elusive), we almost let the coupon expire . . . but the Pina Colada cake kept calling BFF’s name. 😀
This is genius! I wonder how often this would happen. would be fun to try out! 🙂
Give it a whirl . . . the power of the pen lives on in the iPad!
Ah, the perks of being a blogger 🙂
The only reason I had it with me was because we’d just come from a class at the Apple Store and we didn’t want to leave it in the car. But I may grab it every time I head out to dinner!
🙂 ha ha!